Getting my scuba certification has been on my list of things to do forever! I have been a little water baby my whole life. I spent 8 years of my childhood as a competitive swimmer, I was born to be a mermaid and it was finally going to happen!

My trip to the Maldives was the kick in the ass that I needed to finally do the scuba course. I was heartbroken when I couldn’t dive deep to hang out with all the remarkably colourful fish I was swimming with. I felt like I wasn’t able to take full advantage of being in one of the most gorgeous dive destinations in the world. Snorkeling and free diving is cool and all, but I was ready for more! I swore to myself the second I surfaced those crystal-clear waters that this situation was never going to happen again.

Having done a discovery dive a few years back in Thailand, I knew Koh Tao was the perfect place to get my open water certification for many reasons. The main reason being that this tiny Thai island has a reputation for being one of the best destinations in the world to learn how to scuba dive for cheap! Oh, and it’s absolutely stunning here! With more than 60 dive shops to choose from, there is literally something for everyone.

Roctopus Dive

After doing my research and visiting a few dive shops, I decided to sign up with Roctopus Dive. It just felt right to me the second I walked in! Super chill dive shop with awesome vibes located on Sairee Beach. All of the staff were really nice, professional and made me feel super welcomed. I signed up and attended a short orientation that day and was ready to start the next morning at 8am. I couldn’t have made a better choice and I’m looking forward to doing future dives with the Roctopus crew.

Roctopus Dive has their own swimming pool to learn all the basics. Classes are 4 people max, which I really loved because I felt like I got the one on one attention that I needed and everyone got to really know each other and our instructor Matt.

The Course

The first day was pretty basic, where you learn most the classroom stuff then head out in the pool to start practicing essential skills. Matt was super through in explaining everything and took his time with all of us. At the end of the day I felt super comfortable being under water in all the gear and I couldn’t wait to start exploring the ocean.

The next two days were spent perfecting our scuba skills and exploring some of the best dive spots in Koh Tao. We visited White Rock, Chumpon, Twins and Hin Pee Wee over the course of 4 dives. I wish I could have brought my GoPro on at least the last dive because we saw some super awesome fishies such as lionfish, butterfly fish, giant groupers and eels!

The whole course flew by! I couldn’t believe it when it was day3, our last day! Like what?? When did that happen? On the last day everyone gets together at Victor Bar to just hang out, catch up, chill, throw a few back and enjoy one of the most epic sunsets ever. You want to know why I really love traveling? Because every day really is the best day ever and this will forever be one of them. Finally getting scuba certified was a highlight of my 5 month Asia travels! & now that I’m back in Florida I can not wait to put it to good use. Any scuba divers out there?!?! Let’s go explore y’all!!